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Page 76
In an instant Lloyd was at his side, kneeling by the bed. She caught one
of the great, gnarled hands, seamed and corded and burning with the
fever. "Never, never, dearest; never so long as I shall live."
IX.
When Adler heard Bennett's uncertain steps upon the stairs and the sound
of Lloyd's voice speaking to him and urging that there was no hurry, and
that he was to take but one step at a time, he wheeled swiftly about
from the windows of the glass-room, where he had been watching the
October breeze stirring the crimson and yellow leaves in the orchard,
and drew back his master's chair from the breakfast table and stood
behind it expectantly, his eyes watching the door.
Lloyd held back the door, and Bennett came in, leaning heavily on Dr.
Pitts's shoulder. Adler stiffened upon the instant as if in answer to
some unheard bugle-call, and when Bennett had taken his seat, pushed his
chair gently to the table and unfolded his napkin with a flourish as
though giving a banner to the wind. Pitts almost immediately left the
room, but Lloyd remained supervising Bennett's breakfast, pouring his
milk, buttering his toast, and opening his eggs.
"Coffee?" suddenly inquired Bennett. Lloyd shook her head.
"Not for another week."
Bennett looked with grim disfavour upon the glass of milk that Lloyd had
placed at his elbow.
"Such slop!" he growled. "Why not a little sugar and warm water, and be
done with it? Lloyd, I can't drink this stuff any more. Why, it's warm
yet!" he exclaimed aggrievedly and with deep disgust, abruptly setting
down the glass.
"Why, of course it is," she answered; "we brought the cow here
especially for you, and the boy has just done milking her--and it's not
slop."
"Slop! slop!" declared Bennett. He picked up the glass again and looked
at her over the rim.
"I'll drink this stuff this one more time to please you," he said. "But
I promise you this will be the last time. You needn't ask me again. I
have drunk enough milk the past three weeks to support a foundling
hospital for a year."
Invariably, since the period of his convalescence began, Bennett made
this scene over his hourly glass of milk, and invariably it ended by his
gulping it down at nearly a single swallow.
Adler brought in the mail and the morning paper. Three letters had come
for Lloyd, and for Bennett a small volume on "Recent Arctic Research and
Exploration," sent by his publisher with a note to the effect that, as
the latest authority on the subject, Bennett was sure to find it of
great interest. In an appendix, inserted after the body of the book had
been made up, the Freja expedition and his own work were briefly
described. Lloyd put her letters aside, and, unfolding the paper, said,
"I'll read it while you eat your breakfast. Have you everything you
want? Did you drink your milk--all of it?" But out of the corner of her
eye she noted that Adler was chuckling behind the tray that he held to
his face, and with growing suspicion she leaned forward and peered about
among the breakfast things. Bennett had hidden his glass behind the
toast-rack.
"And it's only two-thirds empty," she declared. "Ward, why will you be
such a boy?"
"Oh, well," he grumbled, and without more ado drank off the balance.
"Now I'll read to you if you have everything you want. Adler, I think
you can open one of those windows; it's so warm out of doors."
While he ate his breakfast of toast, milk, and eggs Lloyd skimmed
through the paper, reading aloud everything she thought would be of
interest to him. Then, after a moment, her eye was caught and held by a
half-column article expanded from an Associated Press despatch.
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